Past, Present and Future
by Brainiac5
Summary: LOSH/EXO-FORCE X-over! A movement of robot-haters is on the rise, and when he is left with no other option, Brainiac 5 is forced to bring forward another figure from the past...
1. Prologue

**Past, Present and Future  
**_By Brainiac5_

_Short Summary:_

LOSH & Exo-Force X-over. Trouble is brewing! A movement of robot-haters is on the rise, and left with no other option, Brainiac 5 must bring another figure forward from the past…

_Full Summary:_

A new wing is opened in the museum, celebrating a period of history during which a large-scale Robot rebellion nearly wiped out humanity. However, the rebellion was unsuccessful, mainly due to the incredible resistance mounted against them by an organization put together specifically for the purpose of defeating the robots. Known as Exo-Force, this organization was a culmination of highly trained battle machine pilots, engineers and scientists, all working together towards one goal-- to keep the robots from taking over Sentai Mountain and, inevitably, the entire world.  
Interestingly, a strange movement appears on the same day as the museum wing's opening. These vandals travel in a localized area, destroying many people's property and openly declaring themselves as robot-haters. Is it a coincidence? Some people don't think so, Brainiac5 included. When the Legion fails to capture any members of this dangerous movement, it becomes plain to Brainy that there is no other choice. Since this movement was directly influenced by the time period celebrated by the new wing, the Legion will go back in time to retrieve not an idolized hero or a powerful ally, but a humble engineer from a time when Earth's history was at it's darkest.

* * *

**Prologue:**

Brainiac 5 drummed his fingers on his chair's armrest, impatiently awaiting the return of the rest of his Legion teammates. Of all the days… why today? Shaking his head, Brainy stood, pacing across the room before dropping back into the chair. The Legion had graciously accepted an invitation to be present at the Grand Opening of a new wing in Earth's Museum of History. They had _not_ so graciously accepted the news that Brainiac 5 was not welcome, but the Coluan had urged them to go. He didn't want to cause trouble, and he had never been particularly interested in the time period the wing was celebrating anyway.

Besides, the only reason he hadn't been invited was out of respect for the people of that time period. Some people, he mused, were strangely particular about respecting the long-dead's wishes. After all, if they were dead, how could they care? Still, he supposed it had been a difficult time. Robots attempting to wipe out the human race, one Robot leading the charge… Brainiac 5 could understand their hesitancy to invite a Brainiac to this opening. While it was true his ancestor had nothing to do with _this_ period of Earth's history, perhaps it was wise to simply leave well enough alone.

Once again rising, Brainiac 5 detected the faint sound of voices, and a moment later, the door swung open.

"Well, what's the problem?" Timberwolf demanded immediately upon entry.

"Broken robots," Brainy replied.

Superman frowned. "What, so a robot broke and _we_ get a call?" he asked, seeming confused as to how the Legion had become involved with such a common occurrence.

"Not _'a' _robot," Brainiac 5 corrected, "Three hundred and twenty-six _robots_."

"All at once?" Triplicate Girl asked.

"No," Brainy said, "over the last two hours. Quite a number of reports were filed with the science police until they decided it was--"

"A serial robot killer!" Lightning Lad exclaimed, grunting as Superman elbowed him in the gut.

"--not merely a coincidence," Brainy finished.

"So we get to track down the robot killers?" Bouncing Boy asked.

Brainy nodded.

* * *

"You sure this is the place?" Lightning Lad asked, glancing around with a frown.

Brainy snorted as if to say '_please, do we need to discuss my twelfth-level intelligence _one more _time?' _"Yes," he answered after a moment, "This is the place. While the attacks began at random, they quickly escalated until, unless my hypothesis is unfounded, they will become confident enough to attempt disrupting a factory."

"In plain speak, that means he thinks that since the attacks have been getting bigger, the vandals will probably be brave enough to come calling," Bouncing Boy translated, earning a disgruntled look from the Coluan.

"Yes. Since this location is the one most localized to the previous attacks, it is most probable the attacker --or attackers-- will 'come calling' here," Brainy finished.

"I thought I saw something!" Superman exclaimed, shushing the group.

"Human or robot?" Lightning Lad asked.

Timberwolf sniffed. "Human," he said after a moment. "More than one."

An instant later, chaos ripped through the factory as not one, but _three _bombs exploded simultaneously. Debris and Legionnaires flew through the air like matchsticks in a hurricane.

Superman jumped to his feet, glancing around anxiously. From where he stood, he could see five white-cloaked figures running across the debris-strewn floor. All of them were closing in on a single point, and the object of their attention was "Brainy!" Superman cried, realizing the Coluan lay crumpled in a heap in the exact direction the cloaked figures were headed.

Superman rushed in the Brainy's direction, and arrived at almost the same instance as Lightning Lad, who charged up his hands and glanced around menacingly as if to say, 'who wants it first?' Superman knelt down next to Brainiac 5, whose purple orbs flickered, and the Coluan sat up, shaking his head. "That… was unexpected," he said slowly.

"You're telling me," Bouncing Boy exclaimed from behind the white-robed 'serial robot killers'. Saturn Girl also stood there, blocking the escape route, while Brainiac 5, Superman and Lightning Lad blocked off the front. Timberwolf stood to one side, and Triplicate Girl the other, completely blocking off any chance of escape.

"Give it up," Lightning Lad said, "we win."

"_That's what you think," _hissed the figures, and all but one disappeared.

"Holograms," Brainiac 5 muttered in disgust, berating himself for not thinking of the possibility.

The final figure turned on Brainy, a mindless roar of rage and fury erupting from beneath the white, flowing mask. Anger burned in his eyes, the only visible feature behind the flowing white. "Die, robot!" the attacker screamed, running straight for Brainiac 5.

Superman and Lightning Lad jumped forward, but they needn't have worried. At the last moment, the figure leaped up and over the heroes before landing heavily and spinning around, blasting a hole in the wall, dashing out.

After a moment of heavy silence, Lightning Lad spoke up. "So… Anyone willing to explain what just happened here?"

A/N: Well, I just thought a LOSH Exo-Force crossover was deserved, and this idea was too good to pass up. Sorry to all those waiting for Warped... I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the Fatal Five and Slade... once I've got that figured out, it'll come back, I promise...


	2. A Mere Suggestion

**Chapter 1: A Mere Suggestion**

"They obviously expected us," Superman said, shaking his head. "I mean, otherwise they wouldn't have used holograms, right?"

"That makes sense," Lightning Lad agreed, turning to glance at Superman.

"No, they were not expecting us," Brainiac 5 said, stepping into the room in time to hear the trailing edge of the conversation. "Their usage of holograms is a highly typical ploy to cause the security personnel to draw the conclusion that they are many. In fact," at this, the Coluan frowned, "There is even the possibility of there only being one vandal."

"Yeah, well, where are they headed next, and if they weren't expecting us, why did they charge at you?" Timberwolf asked.

"If you weren't expecting to see Tharok in a public place, and yet you saw him, would you simply shrug and walk away?" Brainy asked, before adding, "Rhetorically speaking, of course."

"Oh, I get it," Superman said. "Just because we weren't expected, it doesn't mean that…"

"Our presence wouldn't incur a reaction," Brainy finished, nodding. "Exactly."

"So, we still don't have any leads, but at least we know these people didn't out-think Brainy. Am I supposed to feel encouraged by this?" Lightning Lad snorted.

"It depends on whether the glass is half empty or half full," Superman chuckled.

"I don't want to know," Lightning Lad said. "You can keep both for all I care."

"I'm confused," Timberwolf said, a tad unnecessarily.

"I think we all are," Superman replied. Then, glancing around, he frowned. "Where'd Brainy go?" he asked.

The three glanced at each other, shrugging in turn.

* * *

Brainiac 5 was hunched up at a desk, staring at the computer screen, absorbing and storing away all the information in the history text. What he was reading didn't seem particularly important to him, but apparently someone thought differently. Frowning, Brainy continued reading.

_**When the robots first rebelled, the humans were able to drive them back, and most people didn't believe it would happen again. But it did, and almost before humans realized what was happening, the robots had taken over one half of Sentai mountain, the mining central of planet Earth.  
**__**Fortunately, after the first rebellion, a small section of humans had gone to work preparing machines in the event that the robots would revolt again. Soon enough these engineers and pilots had the chance to prove their skills. Gathered at a final stronghold called, appropriately enough, Sentai Fortress, the team known as Exo-Force valiantly battled the Robots. However, they were not successful and retreated to the Golden City, an ancient stronghold which contained many secrets and stores of information on battle machines and weapons.  
**__**Among the most famous of these Exo-Force warriors were Sensei Keiken, leader and commander of Exo-Force, his granddaughter and heir Hitomi, top pilots Hikaru, Takeshi and Ha-Ya-To, and Engineer/Pilot, Ryo. Not much is known about these brave heroes, except that they finally succeeded in defeating the robots, at immense personal sacrifice.  
**__**What we do know is that Sensei Keiken was the creator of Mecha One, leader of the Robot Rebellion. This same Keiken was later captured by the Robots and eventually rescued.  
**__**Hikaru was a former test pilot, capable of thinking quickly in tough situations and extremely capable of piloting fast machines.  
**__**Takeshi's family had been taken by the robots, who were later rescued by Hikaru. He remained angry at the robots for as long as our records show.  
**__**Hardly anything is known about Ha-Ya-To, except that he was well-known and well-liked by everyone, and was adept in battle.  
**__**Ryo was part of the original design team and was responsible for many of the designs Hikaru, Ha-Ya-To and Takeshi piloted, as well as designing battle machines for his own personal use. Highly skillful in designs and technology, Ryo went on after Exo-Force to become a top scientist, even creating failsafes for onboard robot computers which are still in use today.**_

Brainiac 5 frowned. Surely that wasn't right. Still in use today? Impossible. Just when was this history text updated anyway? Checking the date, Brainy frowned. _It's recent,_ he thought, frowning. _But…_ _he lived so long ago. How could those failsafes still be around today? Wouldn't there be something better around by now? …Obviously not, if they're still in use. I'll look into that. _Shaking his head, the Coluan stood and paced around his room, frowning. Then, turning back to his desk, he pulled reports from the science police up on the screen and shook his head. _Five factories hit, all within the past two hours. If we don't do something soon… _

* * *

"We've got an incoming message forwarded to us by the science police, you might want to come. If my hypothesis is correct, than this will be our contact from the vandals," Brainy said, transmitting to everyone in Legion HQ. Soon enough, the entire team assembled to watch.

The screen flickered to life, revealing the white mask of one of the vandals-- it was impossible to tell if it was their vandal or not.

"_Greetings," _said the white-masked figure. The voice was obviously that of a woman. _"We are the organization _Shinzo no Hi_, and our aim is simple-- to rid earth of the mechanical monsters you believe to be harmless. Our demands will be met, or the destruction will continue. You cannot stop us, you cannot contain us. We will be victorious. Our demands are as follows-- Complete removal and destruction of all artificial intelligence and robotic devices, and laws preventing robots from ever returning to this planet. Our demands will be met, we will be victorious. We are S_hinzo no Hi._"_

The image disappeared, and Phantom Girl snorted. "Talk about confident! 'We will be victorious', yeah, right!"

"What do you guys think?" Superman asked, turning around.

"Their demands are ludicrous and impossible," Brainy said. "And it appears we will be unable to negotiate."

"You mean _you_ can't negotiate," Lightning Lad said. "Maybe because they, I don't know, _consider you a robot_."

"Lighting Lad, you aren't helping anything by saying that," Saturn Girl said.

"Sorry," Lightning Lad muttered. "But it's true."

"True or not, Brainy wasn't the one who talked to them," Bouncing Boy reminded him. "The Science Police took the call."

"That's true, but these robot killers still won't budge, right? They want all robots gone, deactivated, kaput. Don't you think this is a bit much, even for people like that?" Lightning Lad said.

"People like what?" Timberwolf asked.

"You know, robot hating maniacs," Lightning Lad clarified.

"Technically, if they're maniacs, nothing is too much," Brainiac 5 said. "But I doubt they are."

"Well, they're sure acting like it," Lightning Lad grumped. "How are we supposed to talk to them if they won't listen?"

"Get someone who will make them listen?" Superman suggested, a strange look on his face.

Bouncing Boy sighed. "Who could do that, though?"

"I don't mean any of us," Superman said, glancing around, "Or even anyone from this century. I was thinking about… well, one of the guys from that resistance, what was it, Exo-Force?"

"Um, it's a nice idea, but… well, wouldn't they just agree with these guys?" Triplicate Girl asked. "I mean, they spent their late teen, early adult years keeping robots from taking over the world."

"The profiles too," Lightning Lad insisted. "It said most of them hated the robots."

"Most, not all of them," Brainy said. "There are a few options. Sensei Keiken, Hitomi, possibly Hikaru or Ryo," he mused. "Definitely not Takeshi."

"I thought you weren't interested in that time period," Phantom Girl said, frowning.

"Not particularly," Brainy agreed. "But I decided to research it, because if _Shinzo no Hi _is influenced by it, I can hypothesize how they will act accordingly."

"So, you mean, you're really going to do it?" Superman asked. "I mean, I just kind of threw the suggestion out there. I didn't really mean…"

"There doesn't appear to be any other option," Brainy answered. "As of now, we are in an impossible position. Another variable could provide an opportunity unavailable otherwise."

"Then how do we decide who to bring?" Superman asked.

"Research," Brainy answered. "Find the one who seems most sympathetic to Robots."

"That's like asking us to find a merciful mercenary," Lightning Lad grumbled.

"Think of it as a challenge," Superman suggested. "Come on."

* * *

A/N: Just a few notes-- the summary was like a full teaser, but it wasn't a full summary. It doesn't scratch the surface of the actual plot, I promise. Second, the pronunciation of the organization: Shinzo no Hi: Sheen-Zo. No. He.  
It means Heart's fire, or Heart of fire, which is actually what I intended. Anywho, the review button is only a click away!(hint, hint)


	3. A Humble Engineer

**Chapter 2: A Humble Engineer**

"So, have we got our suggestions?" Bouncing Boy asked. "We'll hear the options, then vote on it."

"Should I start?" Superman asked, glancing around.

"Sure," Bouncing Boy agreed.

Superman cleared his throat and began. "Well, I found out as much as I could, and finally decided on Ryo, because he was an engineer and therefore closer to robotic technology... however, he was also considered one of their heroes. So he'd be an important figure, but he wouldn't harbor so much resentment against the technology, I wouldn't think."

"Nice," Bouncing Boy said. "Timberwolf?"

"What he said," Timberwolf grunted, shrugging.

Bouncing Boy raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes, I picked Ryo too. I had the same reason, just not in so many words," Timberwolf growled.

Bouncing Boy relinquished, turning to the next legionnaire. "Okay then, Saturn Girl?"

"That's who I chose," she said. "Same reasons as Superman."

Bouncing boy shrugged. "Sounds like Ryo's pretty popular with this group."

"He's going to stay popular," Lightning Lad said. "I picked him too."

"So did I," Triplicate Girl said.

Phantom Girl grinned. "Ditto," she said.

Brainiac 5 shrugged, "I agree, but I must add one more point, that being that since Ryo also created failsafes for robots still in use today, he would best to convince _Shinzo no Hi _that these robots will not rebel again."

"But… wasn't that a really long time ago?" Phantom Girl pointed out. "Technology has become a lot more advanced since then!"

"Apparently not with robots," Brainy said bluntly.

"Okay then, now would be a great time to announce that the decision is unanimous!" Bouncing Boy crowed. "Ryo was my choice too. I mean, Takeshi was definitely out because he obviously hated robots. Sensei Keiken wasn't too big on them, we don't know _anything_ about Ha-Ya-To, and Hikaru loved smashing those things. Ryo worked with robot technology, he was considered a hero back then, and… well, yeah. He just seemed the best choice." Bouncing Boy shrugged. "It's nice to know I'm not the only one who thought so."

"So it's unanimous!" Superman exclaimed. "Won't he be surprised when we show up to drag him to the future!"

"No more surprised than you," Phantom Girl pointed out.

"True, very true," Superman agreed. "That's why I can't wait to see the look on his face!"

* * *

"So, how exactly am I supposed to put this?" Superman wondered aloud. "I mean, 'Hi, we're from the future and we need you to come save the robots of the future' is a little abrupt, but we don't want to hang around for too long, but…" Superman shook his head, sighing. "Maybe someone else should do the talking."

"You're the best choice, because he would know about you," Lightning Lad insisted. "And what you said before was fine."

"Actually, if the history texts are correct, he might start talking to you before you get the chance to say anything," Saturn Girl chuckled. "Apparently he was quite the talker."

"A motor mouth, huh?" Superman mused.

"I'm not even going to ask," Timberwolf muttered.

"Should Brainy and I head off, then?" Superman asked after a moment.

"Go ahead, and hurry up! The rest of us will be waiting," Phantom Girl said.

"The nature of time travel insinuates we will return as soon as we have left, in essence," Brainiac 5 said, shaking his head. "There will be no need to hurry."

"Then go there and get back before I explode! My curiosity outweighs my patience like… um, anyway, I'm more curious than I am patient," Phantom Girl finished weakly, giving up on finding a simile. "So hurry up!"

"You can't rush science," Brainy protested, activating the countdown.

"You can try!" Phantom Girl replied, stepping back.

"Bye guys," Superman said as the familiar faces were whisked away…

* * *

"No! Not again! That's the third Stealth Hunter today! What's wrong you guys?!" an irritated voice echoed through the hangar, sending Battle Machine pilots scurrying for cover. They relaxed, however, when they realized the purple-haired techie was not yelling at them, but the electromagnetic influx systems, which had blown out without warning in three separate Stealth Hunter Battle Machines. While this was not a serious problem, it was enough to get Ryo irritated.

"Ryo, take a break," another engineer, Kenji, urged.

"I'll one-up that idea," Ryo fumed. "I'll take this whole influx thing back to the drawing board!" he shouted, snatching up a pile of miscellaneous equipment and retreating to one of his many labs. Once inside, the engineer piled the bits and pieces of ruined electromagnetic conductors, power converters and other rather obscure technological devices on the floor, alongside another conspicuous pile of ruined equipment. "Now, if I could just figure out why this internal combustion chamber isn't quite up to specs, I should have it all figured out," he murmured to himself, flicking on a computer monitor and dropping into his chair before jumping up again, glaring at the chair and brushing a few wires and sharp, tiny bits of now-crushed equipment off of the seat.

"You might want to watch where you sit next time," someone said from behind him.

"Yeah, yeah. So what's wrong with _your_ Stealth Hunter, Hikaru? If it's the electromagnetic influx system, I'm already working on it, and you can go practice with a Grand Titan or something," Ryo growled.

"Actually, um, I'm not Hikaru," the person said, shuffling around a bit.

Ryo took down a few notes on how to better control the influx within the internal combustion chamber before realizing the guy hadn't left. "Well?" He finally asked, spinning around. He gasped, and spun back around, squeezing his eyes shut and counting to ten before turning around again, gaping and closing his eyes a second time. "I really didn't get enough sleep last night," he said to himself, "Now I'm seeing things!"

"I'd be more concerned if you saw nothing, personally," said another voice.

"I must be going crazy! No!! What will Sensei Keiken say?!" Ryo screeched. "He'll be so disappointed in me! He'll look at me and say, 'I'm sorry Ryo, no more engineering for you' -- and then they'll lock me in the funny farm!!"

"No one's going to lock you in the funny farm," said the first voice.

Ryo opened one eye and squeezed it shut again before sighing and opening his eyes. "Hello, figment of my imagination, how do you do?" He said jauntily, tilting his head to the side and grinning. "You're Superman," he said, glancing at the aforementioned, "but I'm afraid I don't recognize you. Love the hair, by the way," he said to Brainy.

"Um, actually, I _am _Superman, and I'm here from the future, but I was originally in the past-- your past," Superman said.

"Am I the only one confused here? Of course I'm the only one confused here, because my subconscious knows what it's doing, even if my conscious isn't quite up to speed," Ryo answered himself, muttering.

"We're from the Legion of Superheroes, and we need your help," Superman added, feeling that he was ruining the whole thing.

"Oh, that's nice. Am I supposed to stop a giant worm from attacking city of Atlantis, or do you want my help taking on the Klingons?" Ryo asked amiably.

"Klingons?" Brainy wondered aloud.

"All right then, what _do_ you want?" Ryo demanded. "For me to tell you my deepest darkest fears and explain why I wear mismatched socks? What?!"

"You wear mismatched socks?" Superman asked.

"Just goes to figure my subconscious wouldn't know a thing like that," Ryo muttered.

"We aren't part of your subconscious, we're visitors from the future, and we need your help! People in the future are destroying all the robots because they think it's not worth the risk, even though there are failsafes in those robots that make it impossible to revolt like they are now. We don't have much time, so please come with us," Superman quickly explained, trying to convince the engineer he was telling the truth.

Ryo sighed. "I guess, if you're my subconscious, I can't really argue, can I?"

Brainy sighed and, without a word stepped forward, smacked Ryo across the face and typed a command on his computer.

"There," He said, "Your internal flux conundrum has been solved, and my obvious physical contact should convince you that I am not a figment of your subconscious."

"I dunno," Ryo said, frowning, "I'm pretty good at imagining things. Sometimes I dream I'm falling off a cliff, and I wake up right after I break my back at the bottom. I'm telling you, that _hurts_. Sometimes I get a cramp."

"Would you have to explain this to your subconscious?" Superman demanded irritably.

"Probably not," Ryo chuckled, "and you know, I haven't had this much fun in years. You guys can't be serious. Come on, Ha-Ya-To, you got me."

"If we flew would you believe us?" Superman asked.

"No, flying is easy," Ryo retorted. "Now come off it, Takeshi."

"If I used one of my super powers, would you believe?" Superman demanded.

"Um, you could try lifting uplink," Ryo said generously, standing and waving a hand towards the battle machine. "Just be nice, and try not to drop him."

Superman walked over and hoisted the battle machine, holding it aloft for a moment before setting it back down.

Ryo's eyes were the size of dinner plates. "Oh…um… so, what was this about the future being in danger?" He finally managed, dropping back into his chair.

* * *

A/N: One chapter as ordered... here ya go, arden anam! This one's for you! Anywho, now that everyone's been introduced, what happens next? Well, suffice it to say, that's for me to know and you to find out. Tune in next chapter for more adventure and excitement!


	4. A New Present

**Chapter 3: A New Present**

Before Phantom Girl had so much as a chance to complain of being bored, Brainiac 5 and Superman returned. Standing between them was a young man with purple hair, unsuccessfully held back by a red band tied around his forehead. Determined blue eyes looked over each legionairre carefully, then a smile broke across his face. Gesturing at his orange jumpsuit, gray tool belt and black boots, he spoke.

"Gee, I feel out of place among all these fancy uniforms," he chuckled, unsuccessfully wiping at some oil stains in a halfhearted attempt to look presentable. "Well, hi," he said then. "Either this is one heck of a dream, or you're all real, and I have to show off either way… so let's see…" he murmured, glancing at each of the Legionaires in turn.

"You don't have to show off," Saturn Girl assured him.

"No, no, I insist!" Ryo said, shaking his head emphatically. "You must be Saturn Girl," he finished, "I was only told your name and powers, but judging from your uniform, you're my best bet."

"You're right," Timberwolf said.

"Thanks Timberwolf," Ryo said, grinning. "You must be Lightning Lad," he said to Garth, still grinning. Brainy was beginning to find that grin annoying.

"Who am I?" Triplicate Girl challenged.

"Triplicate Girl, I hope," Ryo beamed. "Otherwise my 'showing-off time' will be over!"

"You're right," Triplicate Girl said, smiling back.

"And you must be Phantom Girl," Ryo continued, "And you're probably Bouncing Boy," he persisted, still grinning.

"You got all of us right! You have great deduction skills-- doesn't he, Brainy?" Triplicate Girl asked.

"Yes," Brainy answered.

Ryo glanced around, and his eyes focused on one of the computer consoles in the room. His eyes grew wider than when Superman had proven his authenticity. He glanced at Brainiac 5, then cleared his throat. "Could I, um, take a look at that?" he asked.

Brainy frowned, unsure of how he would handle the future's technology. He didn't want to have to clean up after him, after all.

"Sure," Lightning Lad said.

Ryo kept watching Brainiac 5, obviously knowing who was _actually_ the one in charge of the computers, and therefore, any mess he made.

"Fine," Brainy said after a moment.

Without another word, Ryo raced to the console and began to _take it apart._

"Whoa! Hey! Wait a second!" Lightning Lad cried. "I thought you were goanna take a _look_ at it!"

"Well, it's not as though I've got X-Ray vision, unlike _some_ people here," Ryo replied, pulling off the access hatch and ogling the equipment inside. "Wow! This stuff is great!" the engineer cried, pulling out some components and examining a wiring job with undisguised delight.

Brainy somehow managed to restrain himself from strangling this annoying engineer from the past, and instead looked away and tried to appear indifferent. However, he quickly left the room so he didn't have to hear the sounds of a computer console being _looked at_, from the outside in…

* * *

"How long have you been working for Exo-Force, Ryo?" Saturn Girl asked.

"Well, I've been… I _was_ working with them for about two years as part of the design team and an engineer, and I'd been a pilot for a few months too…" Ryo answered, putting the access hatch back on and stepping back with a grin. "That's some system you future people have," he marveled.

"Thanks, I think," Bouncing Boy said. "Though I'm not sure what I had to do with it," he mumbled.

"Hey, you live here," Ryo replied with a grin. "That's enough. This stuff is really advanced."

"I'm surprised you can understand it," Phantom Girl said, shaking her head.

"Yeah. Where's Brainiac 5?" Ryo wondered aloud.

"Oh, Brainy was probably afraid you would break something," Superman said. "He's really possessive of his tech."

"That's understandable," Ryo said, chuckling. "Sounds like me when Hikaru pilots Stealth Hunter."

"What do you mean?" Lightning Lad asked.

"I mean, it's painful to watch someone wreck your, well, for lack of a better phrase… baby," Ryo admitted. "It's scary, too. You don't want your 'baby' to die, or your teammate… most of the time," he amended, grinning at the last part.

"Have you ever taken an IQuA, Ryo?" Saturn Girl asked suddenly. "I mean, what level of intellect would he possess if he was considered a genius in his time period?" she asked Lightning Lad.

"How am I supposed to know?" Lightning Lad snorted.

"Good point," Ryo agreed. "What's a IQuA?"

"Intelligence Quotient and Aptitude test," Brainiac 5 answered, reentering the room with Triplicate Girl, who had presumably informed him the dissection of the computer console was complete.

"Oh. I've never even had one of _my_ time's IQ tests," Ryo said. "I never found the time, actually," he said, "what with the robots."

"What about before then?" Bouncing Boy asked, curiosity aroused.

Ryo chuckled nervously. "Oh, call me an old fiddle-faddle--" he broke off, realizing no one knew what that meant. "Call me old-fashioned," he corrected, "And probably pig-headed, but I always thought those kind of IQ tests were stupid. I mean, who thought them up anyway? If they were geniuses, then what if I was smarter than them? Why should I take one of their tests?" Ryo laughed. "I was pretty rebellious as a kid," he admitted. "I never did really follow the rules. Except when it mattered."

"And since you were a genius, you knew when it mattered, right?" Phantom Girl prompted.

Ryo shrugged. "Not always. After all, I'm still human." he grinned at Brainiac 5. "Can't say the same for you though," he teased. "I dunno, do you make mistakes?"

"Oh, all the time," Triplicate Girl snorted sarcastically. "Everyone knows he's always wrong."

Ryo grinned. "Sorry," he apologized to Brainy, "I guess she just couldn't resist."

"No," Brainy murmured, "I suppose she could not." Then, turning, he examined the computer console, his body language speaking the painfully obvious-- the topic was over.

* * *

"Here, could you work on this?" Phantom Girl asked as she bustled by, shoving an electronic pad into Ryo's hands.

"Huh-- what's-- hey, wait a sec! What am I supposed to do?" Ryo called after her.

"Just answer the questions you can!" Phantom Girl shouted over her shoulder. "Brainy will answer the ones you can't!"

Ryo frowned. "Why me?" he called.

"Everyone else is busy!" Phantom Girl replied, phasing through the wall at the end of the corridor.

Ryo glanced down at the pad and shrugged. "Now," he murmured aloud, "how does this thing work?"

* * *

"Mission accomplished!" Phantom Girl proclaimed, dropping onto the seat next to Saturn Girl.

Bouncing Boy glanced over. "What mission?"

"I got an IQuA into Ryo's hands. I don't know about you, but I'm curious about how smart he is. I mean, robot safeguards that are still in use _now?_ That's impressive." Phantom Girl folded her arms. "Don't tell me you aren't the least bit curious."

"How'd you get him to take it?" Bouncing Boy asked, looking suspicious.

Phantom Girl smiled mischievously. "Well, I didn't exactly tell him it was an IQuA…"

* * *

Ryo sighed, putting down the pad. "Well, that's it. I probably got some wrong. What was with those questions anyway?" he glanced around, and sighed. "Come to think of it, where is everyone? And why am I talking to myself?"

Phantom Girl bustled in just then. "Got all the answers you could?" She asked.

"Yeah," Ryo said. "I don't know how right they are. What's this for, anyway?"

Phantom Girl smirked. "It's for your benefit."

Ryo frowned, completely confused. "what?"

"This is an IQuA," she told him, waving the pad teasingly. "I'm going to go process the results now."

Ryo sighed. "Whatever," he said. "Lemme see the results when you're done." then, grinning, he continued. "besides, I've always kind of wondered what, er, 'level of intellect' I had."

Phantom Girl smiled back. "I'm on it."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the review, greensun! btw, I liked your legion of superheroes getting jobs fics... I wasn't logged in when I read them, though. Maybe I'll head over and review now... Either way, thanks for the review. Asterisk: what's up with the random name gig? Mandi, Kami-chan, Rukia K? Did I miss something? Arden Anam: Glad you liked it! Hope you liked this one!


	5. A Startling Discovery

**Chapter 4: A Startling Discovery**

Ryo was standing in a corridor, trying to remember which direction would lead towards food. He was about ready to fall back on the old standby, 'eanie meanie mynie moe' when Phantom Girl phased through the wall.

"Here Ryo," Phantom Girl said, handing him another electronic pad. "I promise I didn't peek. I thought you should be the first to find out," she admitted.

Ryo grinned, food forgotten for the moment. "Even though you tricked me into taking it?"

Phantom Girl shuffled uneasily. "Well, yeah," she answered. "I hope you aren't too mad."

Ryo shrugged. "Oh, I'm not mad. It's no big deal."

Phantom Girl held out the pad with a grin. "Here you go then," she said.

Ryo took the pad and turned it on, eyes flicking side-to-side as he read a few lines of text. His eyes widened, then narrowed until they were nearly closed. Then, frowning, he smacked his forehead with the pad. "What the heck?!" he moaned. "Twelve! Twelve! Hikaru had at least a hundred, and I get a _twelve!_" It was only after his bemoaning the number that he noticed Phantom Girl's expression appeared to be permanently fixed in a glazed, almost horrified look. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"I…you… this is… I…" Phantom Girl broke off. "I think they got the scores wrong," she said.

Ryo nodded emphatically. "I should think so! Me, only getting a twelve? It's absurd."

Phantom Girl blinked. "I don't think you understand," she said.

Ryo glanced at her with curiosity. "What am I missing, then?" he asked.

"Well--"

Yeah, Phantom Girl, what is he missing?" Superman asked, stepping into the corridor.

"I think she's trying to make me feel better about my IQuA test score," Ryo said. "It's okay. I suppose compared to future standards, I really wouldn't be all _that_ bright. Twelve is probably average for my time period compared to yours." Even as he said so, however, Ryo appeared rather embarrassed at his supposed lack of intelligence.

"He…has…a…twelve?" Superman asked, trying to figure out if he was hearing right.

"I'm having him re-take the test," Phantom Girl said.

"No, it's fine, I'm a simpleton, that's all there is to it," Ryo said. "Really, I don't mind."

"You don't understand!" Superman exclaimed. "That's not the, ahem, problem," he added in a quieter tone.

"And again I ask: What am I missing?" Ryo demanded, beginning to pace.

"Is he missing the test scores? I wanted to know what he got!" Lightning Lad said, also stepping into the corridor, narrowly avoiding Ryo, who was now trekking back in Phantom Girl's direction.

"It was just a twelve," Ryo muttered, stopping stock still and turning around to face Lightning Lad. "It might have well have gotten lost," he moaned, feeling as though no one would like him now. Not when he was so stupid, compared to them…

"A…twelve?!" Lightning Lad gasped.

"Hey guys!" Bouncing Boy said, popping in. "Why is it so crowded in here?"

"Ryo got his test results," Phantom Girl said absently.

"Okay. That doesn't really explain why we're all crowded in the hallway," Bouncing Boy replied, frowning in confusion and avoiding Ryo as the techie began to pace again.

"He got a…twelve! He has a twelve!" Lightning Lad exclaimed, moving aside to allow Ryo room to pass on his way towards Phantom girl for the second time.

"_What?" _Bouncing Boy gaped at the purple-haired techie, who stopped and turned to face him.

"I must be missing something," Ryo said, shaking his head.

"What are you missing? Is it something I can help you with?" Triplicate Girl asked, rounding the corner with Saturn Girl.

"He has a… twelve." Lightning Lad said.

"Where does he have a twelve?" Triplicate Girl asked. "I don't see it. I'm confused."

"My test," Ryo said, hefting the pad and beginning to pace again. "And you aren't the only confused person squashed into this narrow hallway," he added, grinning wryly as he paced past Lightning Lad and towards Phantom Girl for the third time.

"Level _twelve?_" Saturn Girl asked Lightning Lad, who nodded.

"I can't believe it!" Triplicate Girl exclaimed.

"I know," Ryo agreed. "I thought I'd get at least somewhere in the hundreds. Hopefully higher than Hikaru. But… well, whatever." He headed back down towards the corner, nearly running into Brainiac 5, who stepped back, glanced at everyone then shook his head.

"I suppose you have a logical explanation for the unusual locale of this unofficial-- what's wrong?" Brainy interrupted himself, glancing at the stunned faces, and then at Ryo's slightly annoyed and bordering on disgusted facial expression.

"It was a stinking _twelve_!" Ryo exclaimed before anyone else said anything. "I was sure I would get higher than that!"

Brainy frowned. "I seem to be lacking information. Will someone please tell me what is going on?"

"I gave Ryo an IQuA--"

"--he thinks it's _nothing_--"

"--I didn't know how to explain--"

"--scores must be wrong--"

Brainy sighed. "One at a time, please."

Phantom Girl stepped forward. "I wanted to find out Ryo's intellect level, so I gave him an IQuA. I think the scores came back wrong."

Brainy frowned. "Why?"

"Because I got a stinking _twelve,_ that's why!" Ryo cried, waving his arms.

For a long moment no one said anything. "Ryo," Brainy said with a sigh, "twelve is a good number. A _very_ good number…"

* * *

The legionnaires were all gathered again, but this time in a briefing room, and not squashed in a crammed hallway. Ryo was pacing, more furiously than in the hallway (presumably because he had room to do so this time…) Everyone's faces were very serious.

"Guys, relax. At least anything I get won't be as bad as a _twelve,"_ Ryo teased, forcing himself to sit down. He drummed his fingers on the tabletop.

Phantom Girl walked into the room, holding an electronic pad. "Okay, the moment of truth," Phantom Girl said, extending the pad in Ryo's direction. "Ryo? Here are the results of the second test." She smiled sheepishly. "Thanks for taking the time to do the test over."

Ryo shrugged. "Not a problem." Then, he took the pad and sighed. "Do I really have to know the answer? Maybe I like being super-smart… or, well, being thought of as super-smart," he amended.

Brainy frowned. "Just check the results."

Ryo shrugged, flicked the pad on, and read the number aloud.

"Twelve."

* * *

A/N: woooow... I don't think I've had so many reviews on an Exo-Force fic... (even an only half-exo-fic) Thanks for all the support: 10OOGreenSun, Arden Anam, Asterisk78... thanks guys!


	6. A Temporal Theory

**Chapter 5: A Temporal Theory**

"So, how does this thing work?" Ryo asked Brainiac 5, poking at one of the many inventions littering his room.

Brainy closed his eyes, counted to ten, then re-opened his eyes. "Reconstitution, matter displacement and controlled gravitational fluxes." he answered.

"Time/space travel?" Ryo guessed, glancing at the components. "Might I suggest--?"

"Yes?" Brainy urged, wishing he could end the tour. Of course his friends had assumed the two with twelfth-level intellect would be comfortable together, but nothing could be further from the truth. His friends were also under the mistaken impression that the two would be able to best understand and identify with each other.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Brainiac 5, on one hand, was a Coluan, small, young and had been raised in almost total isolation. Ryo, however, was human, bristling with emotion, reaching adulthood and had dozens of childhood friends as well as friends he continued to make wherever he went.

"I think if you rerouted this circuitry, double-bound the influx chamber and hyper-iscilized the decomposition chamber, you could run the process more efficiently, and it would probably be less power-draining." Ryo grinned sheepishly. "Just a suggestion," he added, though that comment hardly comforted Brainy's insulted genius.

He was right. The engineer from centuries ago was right about the circuitry, the influx chamber and the decomposition chamber. The humble engineer from the past had suggested something that was beyond brilliant. And why not? He had twelfth-level intellect. The most galling part of Ryo's suggestion was the fact that Brainy himself had never considered these improvements. He hadn't thought of them. He probably never would have, either.

Brainy had never felt this way before-- was this how other people felt when he told them how to do things better? Did he sound so superior, so… so… _intelligent?_

Ryo frowned, leaning forward to study Brainy's face. "Um, are you okay?"

Brainy nodded. "Anything else you want to look at in here?" he asked wearily.

"Well, no, actually, but I was wondering…" Ryo's eyes sparkled and he leaned forward, appearing genuinely interested in the Coluan's opinion. "What's your opinion of space/time? Do you think those concepts are actually interconnected?"

"I think everything in the universe is interconnected," Brainiac 5 replied.

"See, that's what I've always thought too, but anyone else I talked to starts complaining that their brain hurts," Ryo said excitedly. "What about time travel? How do you think it effects the actual time stream? I mean, if a person dies before their time, or goes back in time, and affect the past, does it really count?"

"I think time is fluid. Always changing, always changeable." Brainy replied, "much like a stream. Place one rock in the middle, you redirect the flow, changing the aspect of that stream. One never knows how much effect one rock might make-- and it depends on the size of the rock."

"Streams and rocks… I bet Hikaru could grasp _that_ concept!" Ryo exclaimed. "That's great! What about dying? If you die in the wrong time, what happens to you- where you should be in the past-- or future?"

"I believe when you die, you die. Forever." Brainy answered. "No second chances."

"So say, er, Superman died," Ryo said. "If you went back to the past, would he still be there?"

"No," Brainy said, "I don't believe so."

"But that's wrong," Ryo said, shaking his head. "Someone may leave the time stream at a certain moment, but up to that time, they'd still be there. Time can't erase someone. When you bring Superman forward, he still exists in the past, doesn't he? Don't _I?_"

"Neither of you are dead," Brainy said. "And honestly, I don't care to learn which hypothesis is accurate."

Ryo grinned. "Me neither," he agreed, and was about to change the subject when Brainy turned back to him.

"You made a statement as though it were fact, but you couldn't know that I was wrong," he stated, but it sounded more like an accusation to Ryo.

"I feel it," Ryo replied. "I can feel that I'm right."

"No true scientist can make decisions based on a _feeling_," Brainy said disdainfully.

"But they can theorize," Ryo shot back.

"What do you know about temporal theory?" Brainy demanded irritably. "You've never built any device for time-travel."

"But I _am_ building something based on temporal theory!" Ryo shot back. "I'm working on a temporal cannon to bring the robot minds back to where they won't be rebelling anymore. And then I'll make a time machine."

"Well have fun with that," Brainy snapped. "Back with your archaic tools and obsolete technology."

"I guess that means when I complete it, it'll be more of an accomplishment than _you've_ ever had," Ryo shot back.

"You haven't invented _anything_ as impressive as anything I have, and you never will," Brainy said coldly.

"Then why are my robot failsafes _still in use today?"_ Ryo snarled.

"Get out."

"I was just leaving!"

Brainy dropped to his bench and fiddled absentmindedly with a few tools, but his mind was blank, empty. A void where nothing could touch him, not irritation, disgust, or grudging respect. Ryo was as intelligent as him, yet it was clear as transparinum that they had nothing in common beyond that.

Nothing.

* * *

"Hey Ryo! Do you want to join us? Bouncy will make room," Triplicate Girl called across the room, waving to get the engineer's attention.

Ryo glanced up wearily, appearing to have just awoken from a dream. "What? Oh, no, thanks," he said slowly, staring as though he was looking through them, through the walls, off into space…

"Something wrong?" Superman asked,

"No… nothing…" Ryo said absently.

Superman, Bouncing Boy and Triplicate Girl exchanged looks.

"What's wrong?" Triplicate Girl asked.

"Temporal Ante-flux hyper-myotanosis," Ryo murmured.

The trio exchanged looks a second time.

"I know I'm right," Ryo muttered, exiting slowly, still appearing to be sleepwalking.

"Well, that was weird," Superman said a moment later.

* * *

AN: Hey guys! This is a shout-out from the middle of nowhere where I finally got wi-fi! yaaay! Thanks for the reviews, guys, it's really encouraging. Stay tuned!


	7. A Daring Proposal

**Chapter 6: A Daring Proposal**

"Six more attacks," Brainy muttered to himself, staring at the record. "And still they remain unyeilding in their demands."

"What up, Brainiac Five?" Ryo called, poking his head in the control room. "Can I come in?"

"I don't see why not," Brainy answered coldly.

"Hey, um," Ryo began, dropping into one of the chairs next to Brainy, "I just wanted to, you know, apologize. About what happened back in your room," he added, clarifying.

"No need. You were simply stating your opinion," Brainy said, feeling irritated that Ryo was apologizing, because then he would have no reason to dislike the engineer.

"No, I was forcing it down your throat, and I'm sorry," Ryo insisted. "It's not right, and I just wanted to-- what's that?" He asked, pointing at the six attack sites superimposed over a space-view of Earth.

"Attack sites," Brainy answered.

"Oh yeah, with all the excitement of coming to the future, I almost forgot all you guys were on a level with Superman-- stellar heroes!" Ryo exclaimed. "And me? Heh. Just some guy who saved humanity. You guys have the whole universe as your responsibility, right?"

"More or less," Lightning Lad said, walking in and answering the overheard question.

"So what are these attack sites from?" Ryo asked.

"Robot killers," Lightning Lad said, "Influenced by your time."

Ryo frowned. "So, this is my mission, in a sense? To knock the living daylights out of them and tell them how my failsafes are the safest in the universe-- even if that's not true," he added, "I bet there are way better failsafes out there."

Gritting his teeth, Brainy spoke up. "Actually, several planets have assimilated your failsafes into their own robot drives for maximum security capacity."

Ryo blinked. "So they are the safest in the universe?"

Lightning Lad glanced back and forth. "Does that matter?"

"It would encourage the vandals to lay down their weapons," Brainy said.

"Definitely," Ryo agreed heartily. "So, do you know how to contact them?"

"No," Brainy grumbled.

"Do they call themselves anything? Stealth Hunters, Grand Titans?"

"_Shinzo no Hi_," Brainy said.

"Hearts of Fire," Ryo murmured. "I wonder… no, no way. It can't be that simple…"

Brainy was about ready to throttle the engineer. "What is simple?" he asked, trying not to sound desperate.

"_Shinzo no Hi _is- was a game we battle pilots used to play. Hearts of Fire. To find someone, you had to know what makes the hider's heart burn with passion, and there you would find them. Sometimes you could choose something a little out of the ordinary and leave a clue. Did you have anything, video, sound, did they tell you anything?" Ryo's eyes were glinting with excitement, and he leaned forward eagerly.

"Right here," Brainy said, pulling up the video file of the demands.

* * *

"_Greetings. We are the organization _Shinzo no Hi_, and our aim is simple-- to rid earth of the mechanical monsters you believe to be harmless. Our demands will be met, or the destruction will continue. You cannot stop us, you cannot contain us. We will be victorious."_

Ryo stared glumly at the screen, and then watched the transmission for the fifteenth time. Suddenly, he jumped up, "_**I got it!**_" he screamed gleefully, jumped up, punching his fists in the air, laughing and falling back into the computer chair.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Phantom Girl cried, dashing into the room followed by the rest of the legionnaires. Fortunately, the room had more space than the hallway they'd been crammed into five hours earlier.

"I know where _Shinzo no Hi_ is hiding!" Ryo said. "It's so simple!"

"It is?" Triplicate Girl wondered aloud, glancing at Brainy.

"Yes. There's probably some big Robot scrap yard for old robots somewhere, right? A big one, too, probably," Ryo said, almost talking to himself.

The legionnaires exchanged glances. "Um, why would they be there?"

"It's their _shinzo no hi_, that's why!" Ryo answered with a grin.

"Their what? That doesn't make sense, their _hearts of fire_." Lightning Lad said.

"No, this time it means their _heart's fire_," Ryo said. "Japanese translation is funny that way. Kind of like a pun. The _Hearts of Fire _meet near what feeds their _heart's fire_."

"And that means…?" Lightning Lad hinted.

"Their passion, their greatest desire-- to rid the world of Robots. So they'll meet at a place that does the same thing they desire-- destroys robots." Ryo glanced at the faces around him and frowned slightly. "I know it sounds like a long shot, but--"

"It's not like we have any other lead," Bouncing Boy finished. "Sure, let's find the closest one in relation to the attacks--"

"Already done," Brainy said from a computer console. "Ender's Robot Deconstruction Plant. Let's go."

As the Superheroes jumped to their feet, Ryo put up his hands. "Wait!" he said. "Wait, I have a suggestion."

"What's that?" Superman asked.

"Let me go alone," Ryo said. "face it, they already don't like you. I'll talk to them, and while I keep them occupied, the science police can come and do their stuff. I'll be fine."

"I don't like it," Bouncing Boy said. "What if you get hurt?"

"What if _you_ get hurt?" Ryo countered. "To them, I'm practically _God_. Let me talk some sense to them."

"We'll send one person to watch your back," Bouncy insisted. "Brainy, you think you can handle that?"

"Yes," Brainy answered. _At least once this is over, Ryo can go home. Then I won't have to put up with him anymore. _

"Great," Ryo said, "This should be easy!"

Brainy wasn't so sure.

AN: thanks for all the support, guys! hope you like it!


	8. A Dangerous Mission

**Chapter 7: A Dangerous Mission**

"Here we are," Ryo said, a tad unnecessarily, seeing as a sign at least twice his size was proudly displaying the message: SCRAP YOUR BOTS HERE. "I just hope _Shinzo no Hi_ shows up soon," he said uncomfortably, glancing at his feet and scuffling them along the ground.

"If you're right, then they most certainly will be here soon," Brainy replied, glancing at him with slight irritation. Ryo had been second-guessing himself all the way to the scrap shop, and frankly, Brainiac 5 was becoming frustrated.

Ryo frowned. "_if_ I'm right," he repeated. "a very big _if,_ actually."

Brainiac 5 decided to ask the same question he'd asked six times before, knowing if he didn't say anything to the engineer from the past, Ryo would work himself into a frenzy and then demand why Brainy wasn't 'helping' any. His purple orbs glancing over at Ryo, Brainy spoke up. "You aren't entirely positive about your hypothesis?"

"Well, of course not! I could be completely off, and they might have just picked the name _Shinzo no Hi _because it's Japanese and _sounds_ cool, for all I know," Ryo cried, waving his arms. Sighing, his arms dropped limply to his side and he shook his head.

"You sounded positive when you explained earlier," Brainy commented, feeling slightly disgruntled that Ryo could be so sure about theories involving time/space, yet unsure about whether or not he'd predicted the intent of terrorists motives-- motives based on Ryo's own time period.

Ryo frowned at Brainy. "I sounded positive, huh? Well, I _was _positive_,_ before reality set in. It's that euphoria you feel after you figure out something that's been bugging you, like when you're inventing, y'know?"

"No," Brainy said bluntly, though he realized he'd always felt a deep-seated satisfaction whenever he'd surprised even himself with his own genius. He simply didn't want to give Ryo the satisfaction of being right.

"Why not?" Ryo asked, staring at him curiously. Why did he always seem to know what the Coluan was thinking? It wasn't as though the engineer could read minds… "I thought everyone felt that way at some time in their life," Ryo commented.

"I don't feel," Brainy shot back. "I don't have emotions."

"I don't think that's true," Ryo countered. "You've got too much heart. Too much passion. _Shinzo no Hi._"

"You should go in now," Brainy said, deciding he would not even dignify that insinuation with an answer. "I'll be watching from a hidden position."

"All right," Ryo agreed. "See ya' later, alligator!"

Brainy supposed the reference to an old-earth reptile was due to his coloration, but said nothing, only turning and heading in the direction of his 'lookout' point.

Ryo waited until Brainy was out of sight, took a deep breath and pushed open the doors to the warehouse. "Hello?" he called, glancing around in the dark. "Anyone in here?" he continued, feeling around for a light. "This is the meeting place for _Shinzo no Hi,_ right?" he said quietly, feeling rather self-conscious.

"_State your name,_" a man's voice hissed from the darkness.

"Er, Ryo," he said, glancing around furtively.

"_Ryo what_?" the man's voice continued.

"Just Ryo," Ryo answered.

"_Hold on a moment, '_just Ryo'_, and I'll turn on the light,_" came another voice.

The lights flickered on, and Ryo found himself surrounded by white-robed figures.

"Hi," he said uncomfortably, waving his hand weakly in greeting. "So there's eight of you?"

"What do you want?" one of the figures demanded, striding forward.

"Um, first of all, I want you to take off your mask. I get nervous talking to people who don't show their faces," Ryo said.

"You're not fooling us with that hologram," the figure said, tossing it's head.

"You're a girl," Ryo commented. "How old?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter," she snorted.

"Do I have to prove I'm Ryo?" he demanded irritably, feeling this wasn't going at all like he'd hoped. Of course, what had he expected, to be welcomed with open arms?

"Yes, you should prove yourself," said another member.

"How?" Ryo shot back.

"Build a battle machine from these robot parts." another said, gesturing at the broken down bots gathered around them.

"These things are too small!" Ryo protested.

"Then I suppose we'll just have to ask you to leave." the teenage girl said angrily.

"How about a miniature scale model of the Grand Titan?" Ryo offered. "Or Uplink, or--"

"Fine. Do it." another said.

Ryo began to scavenge through the parts, scuttling over old broken robots-- all of which looked far more advanced than the robots of his time. Frowning, he began building an uplink-like robot about the same size as himself. However, after fifteen minutes he was brought to a halt for lack of tools. "I can't do this with my bare hands," he complained.

"I don't see how that's my problem," said the girl. "But answer this question instead, and maybe I'll listen. How did you find us?"

"_Shinzo no Hi_," Ryo replied, "Surely you know about the game."

"Only because Ryo was my great-great-great grandfather," the girl replied haughtily, "and he told my great-great grandfather, who told his daughter, who told her son, who told my mom."

_She's my great-great-great granddaughter?! That's creepy…_ Ryo thought. "Oh. Okay then. I guess knowing the game would be proof, no?"

"I used to play it as a child," she said. "But you of anyone-- if you really are Ryo-- you _must_ understand our reason for doing this." she leaned forward eagerly. "Is that why you're here? Have you come to join out cause?"

"Actually, I find your cause utterly ridiculous," Ryo said. "Or did you not know that _I_ created the robot failsafes in all onboard computers used in every robot on earth and even on other planets?!"

The hushed muttering and confused glances made it obvious they hadn't known. "You… you made failsafes in robots?" the girl asked, pulling off her mask. Her violet hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her blue eyes were wide with confusion.

"I'm not stupid," Ryo snapped. "I know about the danger of thinking robots better than any of you. I wouldn't leave a job as important as robot failsafes to anyone less capable than myself. That's why my failsafes are still around today. Because I was as _thorough_ as I could be! More thorough than _anyone else_ could be!" he glanced around, glaring at them. "Don't you get it? Just because something's from the past doesn't mean it isn't intelligent!"

The girl's eyes, if possible, grew even wider. "You really mean it, don't you?" she murmured.

Ryo sighed. "Yes, I do," he answered, glancing at the ground. "You people are acting insane. There's no reason for you to be destroying other people's property."

"How do we know this isn't a hoax?" the first man demanded, glancing around furtively. "How do we know you're really Ryo?"

Ryo stared at him. "I'm not lying," he said firmly. "I knew about _Shinzo no Hi_. I can mostly-build uplink out of spare robot parts," he said, gesturing at the junk cluttered around him. "I _am _who I say I am."

"Liar!" the man who had called Ryo a hoax shouted. "You are lying to us! Do you hear what he says? He is claiming to be so smart that his Robot failsafes are still in use today! Who do you know is that smart? No one!" he roared.

"But I _am_ that smart!" Ryo insisted. "I took an IQuA, and if any of you can boast of Twelfth-level intellect, then come back and tell me I'm not smart!"

The man yelled angrily, pulling out a laser pistol. "Never!" he shouted.

"Val'yor, no!" shouted Ryo's great-great-great granddaughter, pulling out a laser pistol of her own.

"Admit it! You're lying!" the man shouted, holding the gun to Ryo's temple.

Ryo smiled faintly, appearing more peaceful than most would with a gun held to their head. "I'm not lying, Val'yor."

"Admit it!" Val'yor roared.

"Never," Ryo said calmly.

Val'yor stepped back, shaking with rage, his face a dark shade of maroon. "Then you'll die," he vowed.

"No!" the girl screamed.

Two shots went off at once.

As if the same person, Ryo and Val'yor dropped to the floor simultaneously.

* * *

AN: I've been feeling somewhat depressed lately, what with school now knocking me flat after the freedom of summer... but all these reviews, and people favoriting my story has really cheered me up. It's nice to know I've got friends here... Next chapter is coming soon, I PROMISE!!


	9. A Terrible End

**Chapter 8: A Terrible End**

Brainiac 5 felt numb. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly?! It seemed only a moment had passed since he had activated his flight ring, yet barely a second later, two figures sprawled on the floor. One was stunned, but the other… Brainy wasn't sure. Determinedly heading straight for the only other person with twelfth-level intelligence in the room, Brainy hoped against hope that it was simply another stun. Somehow, however, he felt it was worse than that.

The girl with purple hair was kneeling next to Ryo. She had discarded her gun and was staring in shock at the engineer from the past. She covered her face and sobbed. Dropping next to the girl who claimed to be the engineer's great-great-great granddaughter, Brainy felt for the Exo-Force engineer's pulse. It heaved and throbbed, grasping desperately at the final minutes of life.

The Science Police had charged in and were taking the members of _Shinzo no Hi _into custody. Yet time seemed to be standing still as Brainy checked Ryo's wound, desperately berating himself. He hadn't been smart enough to get Ryo some sort of protection against lasers-- why hadn't he considered every option? Had he been lazy, or had he subconsciously _wanted_ something to happen to Ryo? Finally, the Coluan shook his head and carefully lifted the Engineer from the past in his arms. He flew away from the warehouse, headed straight for Legion HQ.

* * *

"He's awake, but he won't be for long." Brainy said, stepping out of the room.

"He'll be okay, right?" Superman asked, concerned.

"The laser was altered," Brainy answered slowly, "and because he was shot from such a short range, it caused irreparable damage."

"So he's… dying?" Triplicate Girl asked. "There's nothing we can do?"

"Once he falls asleep again, it'll be for the last time," Brainy said simply.

"Is he coherent?" Lightning lad asked.

"Yes. He's on heavy pain medication, but seems to be in complete control of his faculties," Brainy answered.

"Can we go in?" Superman asked.

"He said he wants to see you," Brainy said in reply, opening Ryo's door, "all of you."

Once everyone else had gone in, the Coluan shut the door to the room, remaining outside. After a moment of staring at nothing in particular, he leaned against the wall and buried his head in his hands.

* * *

"Hey," Ryo said weakly, waving his hand in their direction. "I told you guys I'd have it under control." He chuckled weakly as the Legionnaires exchanged glances. "Sorry," he apologized, "bad joke."

"So, um…" Superman said uncomfortably, "How do you… I mean, um…"

Ryo chuckled again. "Sorry, I forget how hard it is for someone who's invincible to talk about something as normal as dying."

"It doesn't seem right," Triplicate Girl insisted.

"It happens every day. I've watched good friends get mowed down by the Robots. After awhile, the thought of death doesn't scare you much," Ryo admitted, "It just kind of seems like a natural occurrence." After another long moment of awkward silence, Ryo cleared his throat. "Anyway, I just wanted to say I'll miss you guys, and all the cool inventions. It was awesome while it lasted. I'm kind of sad I won't be able to remember any of it when I go back."

The Legionnaires exchanged glances. "Go…back?" Bouncing Boy finally asked.

"To the past," Ryo clarified.

Superman frowned. "Um… hang on, I just thought of something I need to get." He stepped out of the room, and grabbed Brainiac 5's shoulder.

Brainy glanced up, a question in his eyes.

"He thinks he's going back to the past. What I want to know is this-- is he hallucinating or serious?" Superman looked concerned, and rightfully so.

Brainy sighed. "A difference of opinion-- and postulates," he said.

Superman frowned, "Meaning…"

"Meaning he thinks if he dies here, he won't die in the past," Brainy replied.

Superman shrugged. "Whatever gives him hope," he said slowly. He looked far more inclined to agree with Brainy's hypothesis than Ryo's.

For some strange reason, that worried the Coluan. A minute later, the rest of the Legionnaires walked out.

"He wants to see you, Brainy," Saturn Girl said.

Brainiac 5 sighed and stepped into the room.

"You can shut the door," Ryo said. "If you want to," he added quickly. "You don't have--"

Brainy shut the door. "You seem quite calm for someone who has mere minutes to live."

"It happens to everyone, like I said," Ryo answered, "numerous times," he added after a moment. "Besides, I'm not in pain, and I don't have loads of tubes stuck into me or anything like that. I'm actually pretty comfortable," he said, grinning. "I always thought I'd die crushed by some battle machine, or disintegrated by a pulse cannon. It's a bit refreshing to know you've got time to say goodbye, y'know?"

Brainy nodded distractedly.

Ryo sighed, then winced. "Anyway, don't feel bad about not saving me. A Superhero can't do everything. I was prepared for _anything_ when I went. That's why I wanted to go. Because if something goes wrong, I'll still be around."

Brainy spun around, glaring at Ryo. "But you _won't_ be around, that's exactly it! How can you be so sure of your hypothesis?!"

Ryo frowned slightly. "For one thing, it's _my_ hypothesis, and I understand it in a way I can't even explain. It would require words that don't exist, and invoke concepts that are impossible to describe."

Brainy frowned. "Still, it's _your_ hypothesis. And you are flawed, just as no one is perfect."

Ryo chuckled. "Precisely. No one is perfect. But that doesn't mean _that _hypothesis is a result of my flaws. For another thing, time is _fluid_."

Brainiac 5 was growing tired of that phrase. "Do you even understand what you mean what you're saying when you define time as _fluid?_ It is a completely alternate dimension, undefined and unable to _be_ defined!"

Ryo shrugged, wincing slightly at the movement. "Undefined terms never stopped geometry. Besides, I do have logical reasoning for my theory."

"Yes, I've seen this 'logical' reasoning," Brainy said disdainfully. "And I still fail to see how--"

"Look," Ryo interrupted, "even if I died here, I would be alive in the past. The me in the past wouldn't disappear if I was dead. That's because if I disappear in the past, the future is different."

Brainy nodded. "Yes, exactly my point--"

"I'M NOT FINISHED!!" Ryo shouted, wincing in pain at his outburst. After a moment, he sighed. "Sorry. As I was saying, the future would be different. This means you _wouldn't come and get me,_ which means I would never disappear in the first place."

Brainy's eyes widened.

Ryo smirked, as he finished. "This result means you can go back and get me after all. Which, of course, means that neither the past nor future is actually altered when I die."

Brainy opened his mouth, but he couldn't say anything. His brain was still trying to wrap around the fact that he might have only considered one half of the theory regarding temporal manipulation.

Ryo smiled, shaking his head. "Take the metaphor I used earlier to define what I mean as best I can: Time is a big river. Pulling a rock out isn't going to change where the stream ultimately ends up."

Brainy shook his head. "That's a flawed metaphor, though. The rock never comes back."

Ryo smiled. "The rock doesn't die downstream either," he replied. "Think of time as a river that runs in a big circle."

Brainy sighed. "It wouldn't really be a river then."

Ryo shrugged. "A line isn't much like a pencil, either. But Geometry uses defined terms to explain undefined terms, and so can I."

Brainy shrugged. "I suppose. But I'm still not entirely sure that your hypothesis is correct."

"We'll see," Ryo replied quietly, "soon."

Brainy shook his head and turned to open the door. Behind him, Ryo sighed quietly. Brainy turned back around, about to say something. The words stuck in his throat as realization set in.

The engineer from the past was gone.

* * *

A/N: ack!! School has a choking, gripping hold on my neck and it won't let go!! Well, not exactly, but sorry this chapter took so long. Writer's block strikes at the worst of moments!! (the next chappie should be up soon, though...)


	10. A Proven Hypothesis

Quick note: it has been brought to my attention that I enjoy delving into deep things more than most people. (mostly I've learned this due to a few reviews and my brother running around screaming "my brain, my brain! I don't GET IT!!")

So I figured it wouldn't hurt to go through the whole time thing one more time before I got this show on the road. Ready? Okay!

1): Ryo dies, yes? everyone got that? Okay, on to step two:

2): Ryo disappears from the past _after the moment he left for the future._

3): The future is changed.

4): _Because_ the future is changed, the Legion never went to get Ryo from the past.

5): Because the Legion never got Ryo from the past, he never disappears from the past.

6): Because he never disappeared in the past, Ryo never dies.

7): Because he never died, he is in the past.

8): Because he is in the past, the future is the same as it was before step 1. Return to step one and repeat exponentially.

Kind of like a big circle!!

Okay, I'll let you read now.

* * *

**Chapter 9: A Proven Hypothesis**

Brainy immediately realized something was wrong. For one thing, he still remembered everything that had ever happened in his life. No, that wasn't what was wrong, he remembered that Ryo had invented robot failsafes.

Impossible. He shouldn't remember it, because it couldn't have happened. Brainy threw open the door and dashed for the nearest computer terminal. It was the one Ryo had taken apart. Brainy shook his head, wondering what was going on. "COMPUTO, access files on the organization Exo-Force in the twenty-first century. I want to know what happened to the Engineer and pilot known as Ryo," he said.

Files popped onto the screen. _Ryo, Exo-Force Pilot and Engineer_. 'Ryo, Unsung Hero of the Robot War'. Technical Engineers of the Twenty-First Century. _Battle Pilots of the Robot War_. 'Influential Inventors of the Twenty-First Century'. The list went on and on. Not a single file lamented an early death. Many declared that he lived to the age of one hundred and six.

Brainy shook his head in amazement. It hadn't been Ryo's hypothesis that had been flawed-- it had been his own. The Engineer wouldn't remember ever coming to the future, but maybe, somewhere in his subconscious, something had stuck. Brainy considered this because he discovered an essay written by Professor 'Masaya Tanaka', a known pseudonym of Ryo. The title? 'Practical Hypotheses Regarding Temporal Displacement and Travel'.

Brainy knew that it hadn't been publicized before Ryo had come to the future.

"Hey Brainy, what are you doing?" Lightning Lad asked, walking forward and glancing over the Coluan's shoulder.

"He was right," Brainy said simply. "About temporal theory. He was right, and I was wrong."

Lightning Lad frowned. "I'm not following you," he said.

Brainy's mouth twitched slightly, and if anyone had seen it, they would have sworn it was a smile. "Never mind," he said. "It's just…Ryo really didn't have anything to worry about, after all."

"Speaking of Ryo, where is he?" Superman asked, walking in the room.

Brainy glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the Legionnaires who looked to him expectantly. "Back in the past," Brainy answered. He had been wrong about his time theory.

Right now, he didn't really care.

* * *

Nearly a thousand years earlier, Ryo was marching around a hangar, fuming.

"No! Not again! That's the third Stealth Hunter today! What's wrong you guys?!" he shouted angrily, wishing the electromagnetic influx systems could answer him.

"Ryo, take a break," Kenji urged, trying not to snicker as the Engineer continued to have a stare-down with the offending equipment.

After a moment, Ryo glanced up, as if the suggestion had finally hit home among all the calculations running around in his mind. "I'll one-up that idea," Ryo fumed. "I'll take this whole influx thing back to the drawing board!" he shouted, snatching up a pile of miscellaneous equipment and retreating to one of his labs. Once inside, the Engineer tossed the bits and pieces of technology on the floor, alongside another conspicuous pile of ruined equipment. "Now, if I could just figure out why this internal combustion chamber isn't quite up to specs, I should have it all figured out," he murmured to himself, flicking on a computer monitor and dropping into his chair before jumping up again, glaring at the chair and brushing a few wires and sharp, tiny bits of now-crushed equipment off of the seat. He really had to clean up his desk.

"You might want to watch where you sit next time," someone said from behind him.

"Yeah, yeah. So what's wrong with _your_ Stealth Hunter, Hikaru? If it's the electromagnetic influx system, I'm already working on it, and you can go practice with a Grand Titan or something," Ryo growled.

"Actually, um, I'm not Hikaru," the person said, shuffling around a bit.

Ryo took down a few notes on how to better control the influx within the internal combustion chamber before realizing the guy hadn't left. "Well?" He finally asked, spinning around. He gasped, and spun back around, squeezing his eyes shut and counting to ten before turning around again, gaping and closing his eyes a second time. "I really didn't get enough sleep last night," he said to himself, "Now I'm seeing things!"

"I'd be more concerned if you saw nothing, personally," said another voice.

"I must be going crazy! No!! What will Sensei Keiken say?!" Ryo screeched. "He'll be so disappointed in me! He'll look at me and say, 'I'm sorry Ryo, no more Engineering for you' -- and then they'll lock me in the funny farm!!" He buried his head in his hands and peeked at Superman and the green dude, who were both still standing in front of him.

"No one's going to lock you in the funny farm," said the first voice, aka Superman.

Ryo dropped his hands and opened one eye and squeezed it shut again before sighing and opening his eyes. "Hello, figment of my imagination, how do you do?" He said jauntily, tilting his head to the side and grinning. "You're Superman," he said, glancing at the aforementioned, "but I'm afraid I don't recognize you. Love the hair, by the way," he said to Brainy.

"Um, actually, I _am _Superman, and I'm here from the future, but I was originally in the past-- your past," Superman said.

"Am I the only one confused here? Of course I'm the only one confused here, because my subconscious knows what it's doing, even if my conscious isn't quite up to speed," Ryo answered himself, muttering.

"We're from the Legion of Superheroes, and we need your help," Superman added, feeling he was ruining the whole thing.

"Oh, that's nice. Am I supposed to stop a giant worm from attacking city of Atlantis, or do you want my help taking on the Klingons?" Ryo asked amiably.

"Klingons?" Brainy wondered aloud.

"All right then, what _do_ you want?" Ryo demanded. "For me to tell you my deepest darkest fears and why I wear mismatched socks? What?!"

"You wear mismatched socks?" Superman asked.

"Just goes to figure my subconscious wouldn't know a thing like that," Ryo muttered.

"We aren't part of your subconscious, we're visitors from the future, and we need your help! People in the future are destroying all the robots because they think it's not worth the risk, even though there are failsafes in those robots that make it impossible to revolt like they are now. We don't have much time, so please come with us," Superman quickly explained, trying to convince the Engineer he was telling the truth.

Ryo sighed. "I guess, if you're my subconscious, I can't really argue, can I?"

Brainy sighed and, without a word stepped forward, smacked Ryo across the face and typed a command on his computer.

"There," He said, "Your internal flux conundrum has been solved, and my obvious physical contact should convince you that I am not a figment of your subconscious."

"I dunno," Ryo said, frowning, "I'm pretty good at imagining things. Sometimes I dream I'm falling off a cliff, and I wake up right after I break my back at the bottom. I'm telling you, _that_ hurts. Sometimes I get a cramp." he grimaced at the thought.

"Would you have to explain this to your subconscious?" Superman demanded irritably.

"Probably not," Ryo chuckled, "and you know, I haven't had this much fun in years. You guys can't be serious. Come on, Ha-Ya-To, you got me."

"If we flew would you believe us?" Superman asked.

"No, flying is easy," Ryo retorted. "Now come off it, Takeshi."

"If I used one of my super powers, would you believe?" Superman demanded.

"Um, you could try lifting uplink," Ryo said generously, standing and waving a hand towards the battle machine. "Just be nice, and try not to drop him."

Superman walked over and hoisted the battle machine, holding it aloft for a moment before setting it back down.

Ryo's eyes were the size of dinner plates. "Oh…um… so, what was this about the future being in danger?" He finally managed, dropping back into his chair.

Brainiac 5 and Superman carefully explained the issue. Ryo agreed to go, and they departed. Ryo reappeared in the same instant, glancing around in confusion. He carefully scanned the room, glaring suspiciously at Uplink. "Superman and a… green alien," Ryo said, touching his head and frowning. Laughing, he shook his head. "I _knew_ I shouldn't have eaten that slop this morning!" Then he dropped down into his chair and stared at the schematic-- the internal combustion chamber's influx aeromastic complex had been altered. What a brilliant solution! He'd never…he thought… No, he hadn't. He'd never thought of that.

Ryo frowned. _The green alien solved it for me._ He shook his head, and turned back to the schematics. A second later, he stood and paced around the room. He couldn't seem to shake these strange images from his head… _Maybe I need a nap_, Ryo thought, walking from the room. _I can't seem to get my mind off that time theory… Maybe I should write it down…_

* * *

A/N: Well, nothing left but the Epilogue now... how was it? Good, I hope? Happy ending? Yes? (I loooove happy endings! And _EXPLAINED_ endings. I hate ends that leave you hanging, like 'The Giver'. Someone tell me who gave that book a Newberry award, I wanna smack 'em! Well, not quite...)


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

Brainiac 5 stared at the information that was scrolling across the exhibit screen. "Five minutes," he muttered.

Chameleon Boy glanced around curiously. "So, remind me again why we're here?"

Phantom Girl sighed. "We're here because Brainy was invited to speak at the grand opening of this wing in the museum. Funny thing is, there's already an exhibit about the war and time period this person was a part of."

Brainy glanced at Phantom Girl and shook his head. "Not exactly," he said, "because he was a part of _our_ time also."

Cham was obviously baffled. "This guy?" he asked, glancing at Brainy, "in the future?"

Brainy nodded. "Yes." He was about to continue when Phantom Girl interrupted.

"It's time for your little speech, Brainy," she said, pushing him towards the stage, "The Curator's introducing you!"

Brainy arrived onstage just in time to have the vocal amplification device shoved into his hand. "Thank you," he said to the audience, his eyes scanning for someone he knew would be present.

"Unlike most of the people here, I had a chance to meet the man this exhibit honors. I spoke with him. I would like to think we were friends, though it seems he considered most anyone his friend. But the thing that made him unique was not his intellect, or his friends, but his character. He knew what his duty was, and he never pretended to know differently. He created battle machines because he had to. He made Robot failsafes because it was necessary. He _died_ a second time, barely a year ago, because he knew it was his duty. He was a hero, in every sense of the word. He didn't receive the honors or commendation his fellow battle pilots did, but he deserved more than simply a commendation." Brainy locked eyes with Rika Komatsu, Ryo's great-great-great granddaughter. "This is because Ryo Arakaki was a true hero…past, present and future."

Thunderous applause followed this statement, and Brainy left the stage, tucking the memory alongside a less pleasant one. Even if everyone else forgot about him, Brainiac 5 knew he would never forget the brilliant Engineer from the past.

Or his sacrifice.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it folks, the dramatic ending that _always _makes me feel like I've done something wrong. Hope it's up to par... anyway, the end! I can now officially say the fic is complete... I'm almost sad to see it go. Maybe I'll have Ryo make his own time machine and pop in again someday... that would be fun... thanks for all the reviews guys!


End file.
